Chapter 95: It’s not your fault
Chapter 95: It’s not your fault
Chapter 95: It’s not your fault
(Celeste’s POV)
From my spot near the corridor leading to the healing chambers, I watched Lucas cradle
Scarlett in his arms. He pressed her against his chest, his russet wolf radiating comfort and
protection.
“Don’t cry, precious sister,” he murmured, his voice soft but laced with anger over her
supposed mistreatment. “Diana is just confused. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Scarlett buried her face against him, clinging like a fragile flower trembling in a storm. Her
wolf whined pathetically, its soft cries matching the perfectly timed tears streaming down her
cheeks.
“I only wanted to protect Diana,” Scarlett whispered, her voice breaking just enough to tug at
anyone’s heartstrings. The sweet honeysuckle scent she exuded grew stronger, saturating the
entire corridor with her manipulative charm.
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. My silver–scarred wolf keened softly at the sight. That protective warmth that Lucas now showered on Scarlett was once reserved for me.
Fourteen years. Fourteen years of treating me as his cherished sister. Fourteen years of
affection, of promises that pack and family came first.
And yet, with Scarlett’s return and my subsequent fall from grace, none of that mattered
anymore.
Now, as I stood partially hidden in the shadows, I watched the brother who abandoned me in Moon Shadow Prison for a crime I hadn’t committed–comfort the real perpetrator as though
she were the victim of the century.
Lucas stroked Scarlett’s auburn hair gently, his golden eyes soft with an almost overwhelming.
devotion.
“It’s not your fault,” he told her. “Celeste is trying to poison everyone against you. She enjoys causing trouble–it’s the only way she knows how to ruin what we’ve built.”
The words hit harder than they should have. My scars, both physical and emotional, seemed
to throb as if he’d struck me himself.
I stepped into the light, my violet eyes cold as I fixed my gaze on Lucas. “Strange,” I said, my
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Chapter 95: It’s not your fault
tone biting and controlled, “how your wolf no longer recognizes fourteen years of sibling
bonds.”
His head snapped toward me instantly, and his once–warm golden eyes glinted dangerously. Scarlett stiffened in his arms, but Lucas turned fully toward me, placing himself protectively in front of her as though I were a threat.
“Don’t you dare speak of bonds!” he snarled, his wolf’s aggression flooding the narrow corridor.
“You lost any right to claim those bonds the moment you betrayed this pack!”
“Betrayed you?” A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. “By taking the
punishment for her crime?” I pointed at Scarlett, who continued sobbing theatrically behind
Lucas’s broad frame.
“Lies!” Lucas barked, his wolf surging with anger. “My true sister would never commit such a
crime!”
His words hung in the air, each one more cutting than the last. My scarred wolf growled low,
both at the hypocrisy and at his absolute blindness.
“Your ‘true sister,” I said slowly, emphasizing every word, “just manipulated you into letting Diana nearly die today.”
“You dare accuse Scarlett?” Lucas snapped, his wolf bristling. “She’s too pure–hearted for your
toxic schemes.”
Scarlett sniffled, subtly stepping out from behind Lucas. “Please, Brother,” she whispered, her
emerald eyes glistening with perfectly placed tears. “Don’t let her drive us apart.”
The syrupy sweetness of her voice could have fooled anyone. I watched as Lucas’s protective instincts flared, his wolf practically radiating hostility toward me.
But my gaze shifted solely to Scarlett. “Tell me, Scarlett,” I said coldly, stepping closer. “If
you’re so pure–hearted, why didn’t you let Alexander or Lucas save Diana? High–ranked wolves
risking the sacred waters isn’t forbidden–unmated or not. So, what was your true excuse?”
Scarlett’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Her wolf whimpered softly, retreating
slightly.
“She…” Lucas began, stepping in her defense, but Scarlett pressed a trembling hand to her
chest, pretending to compose herself.
“I was thinking of… of the pack’s reputation!” she suddenly exclaimed, her emerald eyes darting nervously. “I couldn’t risk… risk Alexander being seen as careless!” Her voice cracked
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Chapter 95: It’s not your fault
at just the right moments.
My keening wolf forced me to challenge her further, but Lucas interrupted. His wolf surged with fresh aggression as he moved closer, now towering over me.
“How dare you question her?” His golden eyes burned with fury. “She did nothing wrong! If anyone’s at fault for Diana being hurt, it’s you!”
The whirlwind of emotions twisting through me nearly knocked me off balance. I wanted to
shout, to lash out, to make him see the truth–but the years of betrayal had long choked those
urges out of me.
The ghost of a bitter smile touched my lips. “Funny,” I said quietly, with a faint, razor–sharp
calm, “how you assume I poisoned Diana against her. Did it ever occur to you that Diana saw
Scarlett for who she truly is? Or does Scarlett’s act still have you blinded?”
My words were like a slap. Lucas recoiled slightly, his wolf faltering. But the brief flicker of
uncertainty vanished almost instantly, replaced with surging rage.
“You’ve done nothing but cause division since you returned,” he shouted. “You’ve poisoned
Diana against her, and if this continues, I’ll ensure the Alpha King knows-”
I cut him off, my voice snapping like a whip. “Did the Alpha King care when I was accused of breaking the moon crystal? Did the Alpha King care when I was dragged to Moon Shadow
Prison for a crime I didn’t commit?”
Scarlett flinched slightly, hiding her face against Lucas’s chest again. Lucas growled low, his
arms wrapping protectively around her once more.
“Don’t you dare try playing the victim,” he growled, his wolf radiating authority. “You’ve done
nothing but shame this pack with your actions!”
It was too much. Too absurd. A cruel laugh bubbled unwillingly in my throat. “Shame the pack? I SAVED Diana. If not for me, your ‘precious Scarlett‘ would have let her drown while
spouting nonsense about ‘reputation.”
Scarlett whimpered pitifully, her fingers curling tighter into Lucas’s shirt. His wolf surged protectively yet again, firm in his belief in her innocence.
“That’s enough!” he snapped, his golden eyes flashing with unyielding dominance. “You saved Diana for your own gain, don’t pretend otherwise. But if her condition worsens because of you, don’t think I won’t hold you accountable.”
His words carried weight, the finality of a threat lacing every syllable. For the first time in
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Chapter 95: It’s not your fault
weeks, I felt a stabbing pang of something resembling grief rather than anger. Lucas, my
once–beloved brother, was gone.
Tired of the argument, I tilted my head slightly. When I spoke, my words were so quiet that
they were almost a whisper.
“While you comfort her over a minor slight,” I said slowly, “my silver burns, inflicted from your own mother’s attack, are still healing. Did you notice? Did either of you care?”
For a moment there was silence. Lucas stared at me, caught off guard. I noticed the faint twitch in his expression–a flicker of guilt he tried desperately to mask.
With emotions swirling in my chest, I turned and walked away. Scarlett’s scent, heavy with
satisfaction, lingered in the air as I left.
Behind me, Nina appeared, her silver–gray wolf pressing against mine supportively. She draped
a soft shawl over my shoulders, the scent of healing herbs comforting but bittersweet.
“It’s ironic,” Nina said wryly. Her sharp tone drew my attention. “He wouldn’t save Diana
because of Scarlett’s manipulative tears about ‘impropriety. Yet now he’s making a public
scene comforting her.”
I exhaled sharply. It wasn’t amusement–I was too tired for that. But Nina’s words hit deep.
Lucas’s hypocrisy had become unbearable.
“His devotion used to belong to me,” I said quietly, bitterness threading through my voice. “His loyalty was mine. Before Scarlett returned.”
Nina sighed, resting a protective hand on my shoulder. “His blindness will be his ruin,” she
said firmly. “You, however, still see clearly.”
She hesitated as we began walking out of the corridor. “Marcus was watching earlier,” she added carefully. “From the moonstone bridge.”
I stopped in my tracks, exhaustion suddenly rolling over me like an oppressive wave. “He
didn’t approach?” I asked, my voice low.
“No,” Nina confirmed. “But his violet eyes never left you–not for a second.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, unwilling to respond. Marcus’s predatory gaze was the last thing I
wanted lingering on my mind.
But then a royal messenger appeared, bearing Regina Blackwood’s wax–sealed letter. His formal bow held an air of urgency.
“Lady Celeste,” he announced. “The Alpha King’s sister requires your immediate presence.”
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Chapter 95: It’s not your fault
Unease prickled through me as I followed him toward the royal territory. Diana’s earlier
warnings about Marcus’s cruelty rang louder in my mind than ever.
But before we could reach the borders, a powerful aura swallowed the space surrounding us like an icy tide.
Alexander stepped out of the shadows, his white wolf radiating dominance. With a wave of his hand, the messenger scampered away without question.
“We need to talk,” Alexander said firmly, his ice–blue eyes fixed on mine with searing intensity.
His wolf’s aura clashed with my own, setting every nerve in my body on edge.
